Legendary Actor Paul Newman Dies At 83

Another legend of the silver screen has died as this story at Yahoo News reports

Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money" — and as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83. Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.

In May, Newman had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues.

He got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Oscars 10 times, winning one regular award and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."

Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."

He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer," and Newman directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."

With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. "I was always a character actor," he once said. "I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."

Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.

A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast" Eddie Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler." Newman delivered a magnetic performance in "The Hustler," playing a smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats — played by Jackie Gleason — and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel — directed by Scorsese — "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but rather an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback.

link to full story

Memorial Day History Wikipedia Style

Memorial Day is a United States Federal Holiday observed on the last Monday of May (in 2008 on May 26). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who perished while in military service to their country. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War, it was expanded after World War I to include casualties of any war or military action.

link to wikipedia

Memorial Day History

This is my first post in a couple of days, because I purchased a chess game online and downloaded it~~and it took nearly 22 hours to download, and then it did NOT work!! I shall not do that again~~I hope;) !!

Today we mark another Memorial Day, and we shall do posts all day with links to Memorial Day histories, and other pertinent information, as we honor all who have given their lives for our nation. May we have a Somber Day of Remembrance, instead of the way many in our country "celebrate" this day with drunken cookouts!! Thank You, and we begin with History.com:

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that:

The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Ceremony, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.

This 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances of the day in several towns throughout America that had taken place in the three years since the Civil War. In fact, several Northern and Southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Miss.; Macon, Ga.; Richmond, Va.; Boalsburg, Pa.; and Carbondale, Ill.

In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America's wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. (Veteran's Day), a day set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, is celebrated each year on November 11.)

Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Ceremony with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Also, it is customary for the president or vice-president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. About 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.

Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.

LINK TO HISTORY.COM

Sad End For Emily Sanders

There is a sad story today as police on Saturday identified a body found earlier in the week as that of a missing Butler Community College student.

The identification of the body of Emily Sander, 18, was confirmed by a forensic orthodontist, El Dorado Police Chief Tom Boren said.The body was released to Sander's family after forensic examinations and an autopsy. The results of that examination and the cause of death were sealed by the county attorney's office, and police would not release details about the cause of death.

I am sure there will be some people out there thinking that her "double" life is what brought her to this sad end, but all I see is a family that will be in such deep pain, because their "little" girl will never grace their presence again. Prayers and condolences to Emily's family and friends!!


sad

Quiet Riot Singer Found Dead

There is a sad story today, as Kevin DuBrow, lead singer of the popular U.S. 1980s heavy metal band Quiet Riot, has been found dead from unknown causes at his home in Las Vegas, authorities said on Monday.


DuBrow, 52, was found dead at about 5:20 p.m. on Sunday, a spokeswoman for the Clark County Coroner's Office said. She said an autopsy was under way on Monday to determine the cause of death.


For those who did know Kevin Dubrow, or Quiet Riot, here is a little recap of the metal band with the first metal song to top the charts:

The original band was started by Randy Rhoads in 1975, but broke up in 1979 when Rhoads went on to join Ozzy Osbourne's band. In 1980, DuBrow formed a band he named DuBrow, which also included brothers Tony and Carlos Cavaso. After Rhoads' death in 1982, Dubrow changed the name of the band to Quiet Riot, which his record company felt would allow the band to capitalize on wide name recognition. Rudy Sarzo ended up joining the band once again before the release of Metal Health, which stormed to the top of the charts, making Quiet Riot the first metal band to achieve number one status on their (U.S. release) debut album. Songs like "Cum on feel the Noise", and "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" then launched them into national fame. Nevertheless, when asked to compose more successful albums, they were unable to do so. This, coupled with DuBrow's diatribes against contemporary metal bands, the press, and eventually his own record company led to the decline of Quiet Riot. DuBrow at one point was even fired from Quiet Riot during a tour's end at Hawaii in 1987; he was abandoned in a hotel while the other members of the band left on an earlier flight.
Quiet Riot continued through the 90's in several different incarnations. They released several albums including Terrified, Down to the Bone, Alive and Well and Guilty Pleasures.
In 2004, DuBrow recorded a collection of cover versions for his first solo album, In for the Kill.
During 2006, Quiet Riot worked on a new studio album that was expected to be released in either 2006 or 2007. The band stated that they had set no timetable for the release of the album, that they are financing the project themselves, and that it would be released when they see fit and on their terms.
The album, Rehab, was released on October 3, 2006. The lineup on the album was DuBrow, Frankie Banali, Tony Franklin, and Neil Citron. Singer Glenn Highes also made a guest vocal appearance on the album.

Condolences to the family, friends and metalheads around the world. Rock Metal will mourn this death. He wasn't the greatest, but he was one of the founders of what was to become metal and helped give it widespread appeal, which helped all metal grow. Metal Rules!!

dead

I woke up to a report on Fox News that Tom Snyder, the former host of the Tomorrow Show, had died of complications from Leukemia, and was saddened. Tom Snyder was 71 and had been living in San Francisco for the last year.
I had watched his show from the first to the last and always found him entertaining and informative. He was so impressive that he spawned a regular character for then Saturday Night Live performer, Dan Ackroyd, who made "fun" of, but also made it so over the top, that Tom was even more endearing, and he took it with humor and good grace. He was always the professional. He had a good sense of humor and a big laugh to go with it, and there was always the constant smoke about him, as he smoked his cigarettes as he pleased throughout the show. It gave him an Edward R. Murrow "look" to me, in particular when it was a serious subject he was discussing.
I was particularly angry at NBC, when they decided to cancel his show in favor of one hosted by David Letterman, who was everything that Tom was not. I would not even watch Letterman at first, and when I did check in to see what his show was about, I found him to be crude, rude and unfunny. He was the opposite of Tom Snyder, though I know there are many Letterman fans, including my brother, girlfriend and other friends who think he is a comic genius. To each his own, I shall mourn the passing of this t.v. pioneer, who after an explosive (literally) show by the now deceased Plasmatics singer Wendy O. Williams, who blew up a car on his stage during her performance, looked at the camera and said "That's the end of Television"! I can still see the look on Tom's face all these years later and it makes me smile.
My condolences to Mr. Snyder's family, friends, and fans. May Tom Snyder, Rest in Peace!

71

LADY Bird Johnson Dead At 94

A Classy lady died today, and we should mourn for a truly Good woman, who was a Good First Lady, and a Great Mother and Wife. Lady Bird Johnson, the former first lady who championed conservation and worked tenaciously for the political career of her husband, Lyndon B. Johnson, died Wednesday, a family spokeswoman said. She was 94.

Lady

Missing Hostages May Be Dead

It was another bloody weekend in Iraq as 14 more United States troops were killed while performing cordon and search operations near of Baghdad.
This is an area near where our troops were attacked and three not killed on scene were taken by the terrorists. One soldier was later found dead during the search, but the other two are still missing.
On Monday, a faction of al-Qaeda called the Islamic State of Iraq, released a video in which they say that its' militants killed all three United States soldiers after capturing them last month.
The video shows footage of the nighttime attack on our troops and the aftermath, but does not show the three soldiers taken hostage, so there is still a possibility that the two who have not been found are still alive.
In addition, a website associated with the terrorists claims that it will release videos of the murdered soldiers in the near future.
The body of one of the soldiers was found on May 23 in the Euphrates River and later identified by the United States military as Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr., 20, of Torrance, California. The two other United States soldiers, Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusettes and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Michigan, remain missing.
The deaths this weekend raised to at least 3,493 members of the United States military who have died since the war started in March of 2003.
I think there is probably little hope of finding these young men alive and if they are imagine how much torture they are being put through. After all it was just over a week ago that our troops rescued Iraqi's who were being held and tortured by their al-Qaeda captors.
Their techniques are brutal and meant to inflict pain upon the recipient, so I fear for our two troops and what they are going through if they are still alive.
May the troops be found soon, dead or alive, so at least their families will know what happened to them, and be happy if they are alive and mourn if they are not.
The number of insurgents/terrorists continue to grow as everyone runs to Iraq to "kill" Americans, I hope that we have enough troops to keep up the fight and perhaps wear their numbers down before we leave, so fewer will want to come here and finish the job of "killing" Americans.
To our troops in harm's way, throughout the world, please be safe and godspeed!
hostages